34. Climate Change in the Highlands 1810–20

by Karen Deans

Synopsis

Scottish weather records for the years between 1810 and 1820 reveal a period of exceptionally cold, gloomy, and stormy conditions. Observers noted days when the sun shone red in the sky during the daytime, and others when mock suns were visible, both indications of unusual atmospheric conditions. The combination of cold conditions and a general lack of sunshine and warmth had a devastating effect on agricultural work and crop yields. The inevitable consequences of disease and mortality followed with epidemics of typhus and dysentery. This talk will explore what happened and why, and identify the implications for the following decades.

Image caption: Alexander Nasmyth, A View of Tantallon Castle with the Bass Rock, 1816

About the speaker

Karen is a part-time PhD student at the University of Dundee researching historical climatology in Scotland at the close of the Little Ice Age during a period of reduced solar activity and major volcanic eruptions. After studying agricultural economics and working in the NHS, Karen completed a BSc in geology from Birkbeck College in 2014, and an MSc in science (Earth and Space Science) from the Open University in 2020. Her current research project uses contemporary accounts from across Scotland to quantify climate change following several major eruptions and the subsequent impacts on agriculture, health and mortality.

How to participate

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